Low-cost autonomous driving shuttle and a method of operating same

ABSTRACT

A method of operating an autonomous driving shuttle includes: receiving, by the autonomous driving shuttle, information on an operation of the autonomous driving shuttle; recognizing a guide line by using at least one camera provided in the autonomous driving shuttle; and driving the autonomous driving shuttle by using the information on the operation and the recognized guide line.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2019-0020768, filed Feb. 21, 2019, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a low-cost autonomous driving shuttleand a method of operating the same. More particularly, the presentdisclosure relates to a low-cost autonomous driving shuttle drivingalong a guide line and a method of operating the low-cost autonomousdriving shuttle.

Description of the Related Art

As technology has advanced, interest in autonomous driving of a vehiclehas increased. Particularly, many technical advances have been made onhow to increase user convenience through autonomous driving of a vehicleand provide an efficient service. However, in order to implementautonomous driving of a vehicle, many highly developed techniques needto be applied to a vehicle, and implementation of an autonomous drivingvehicle is costly. Accordingly, the cost of the vehicle increases, andthus the vehicle may not be used. Considering this fact, an autonomousdriving shuttle implemented at low cost may be applied, which isdescribed below.

The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of thebackground of the present disclosure. The background is not intended tomean that the present disclosure falls within the purview of the relatedart that is already known to those having ordinary skill in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

The present disclosure may provide a low-cost autonomous driving shuttleand a method of operating the low-cost autonomous driving shuttle.

The present disclosure may provide a low-cost autonomous driving shuttlethat drives along a guide line and a method of operating the low-costautonomous driving shuttle.

The present disclosure may provide an autonomous driving shuttle and amethod in which the autonomous driving shuttle recognizes a guide lineand is operated.

The present disclosure may provide an autonomous driving shuttle and amethod of reducing a driving error of the autonomous driving shuttle.

Technical Solution

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method ofoperating an autonomous driving shuttle comprises: receiving, by theautonomous driving shuttle, information on an operation of theautonomous driving shuttle; recognizing a guide line by using at leastone camera provided in the autonomous driving shuttle; and driving theautonomous driving shuttle by using the information on the operation andthe recognized guide line.

The autonomous driving shuttle may include the at least one cameraphotographing a driving path. The autonomous driving shuttle mayrecognize the guide line through the at least one camera photographingthe driving path.

The autonomous driving shuttle may include two or more camerasphotographing the driving path. The autonomous driving shuttle mayacquire a depth image of the guide line through the two or more camerasand recognize the guide line using the acquired depth image.

The autonomous driving shuttle may further include a cameraphotographing at least one among a forward view, a rear view, and a sideview. The autonomous driving shuttle may acquire an image through thecamera photographing at least one among the forward view, the rear view,and the side view. The autonomous driving shuttle may drive considering,i.e., taking into account, the acquired image.

The autonomous driving shuttle may transmit information acquired usingthe at least one camera to a server. The server may store and update theacquired information using machine learning or a learning scheme.

When the autonomous driving shuttle fails to recognize the guide lineduring driving, the autonomous driving shuttle may transmit a messagefor requesting path identification to the server. The server may alsotransmit a path identification message to the autonomous driving shuttleusing the information stored and updated through the machine learning orthe learning scheme. The autonomous driving shuttle may also drive alongthe guide line using information received from the server.

The information on the operation may include at least one among startlocation information, end location information, path information,operation time information, and speed information.

When the autonomous driving shuttle drives along the guide line, theautonomous driving shuttle may acquire an image of an obstacle using theat least one camera.

The autonomous driving shuttle may recognize the obstacle and, when theobstacle is positioned within a preset distance on the guide line, theoperation of the autonomous driving shuttle may be stopped.

When the obstacle is a vehicle, the autonomous driving shuttle mayidentify whether the vehicle is a shuttle on a list.

When the vehicle is the shuttle on the list, the autonomous drivingshuttle may determine whether to stop driving, by using a priority ofthe vehicle.

The autonomous driving shuttle may receive operation-related informationfrom a road side unit (RSU) and may drive along the guide line using thereceived operation-related information.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an autonomousdriving shuttle comprises: a camera unit acquiring an image; and aprocessor controlling the camera unit. The processor identifiesinformation on an operation of the autonomous driving shuttle andrecognizes a guide line using at least one camera included in the cameraunit. The autonomous driving shuttle drives using the information on theoperation and the recognized guide line.

The autonomous driving shuttle may further comprise a transceivertransmitting and receiving a signal. The information on the operation ofthe autonomous driving shuttle may be received through the transceiver.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a system foroperating an autonomous driving shuttle comprises the autonomous drivingshuttle and a server. The autonomous driving shuttle receivesinformation on an operation of the autonomous driving shuttle from theserver. The autonomous driving shuttle recognizes a guide line using atleast one camera included in the autonomous driving shuttle. Theautonomous driving shuttle drives using the information on the operationand the recognized guide line.

Advantageous Effects

According to the present disclosure, the low-cost autonomous drivingshuttle can be operated.

According to the present disclosure, the low-cost autonomous drivingshuttle can be operated along the guide line.

According to the present disclosure, an autonomous driving shuttle and amethod can be provided in which the autonomous driving shuttlerecognizes a guide line and is operated.

According to the present disclosure, the driving error of the autonomousdriving shuttle can be reduced.

It is to be understood that technical problems to be solved by thepresent disclosure are not limited to the aforementioned technicalproblems. Other technical problems, which are not mentioned herein,should be apparent from the following description to a person havingordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objectives, features, and other advantages of thepresent disclosure will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method of performing, by a vehicle,communication with devices;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating an autonomous driving shuttle;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating driving path information of anautonomous driving shuttle;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method in which an autonomous drivingshuttle drives along a guide line;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method in which an autonomous drivingshuttle drives along a guide line based on a server;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method in which an autonomous drivingshuttle communicates with a road side unit (RSU); and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an autonomous driving shuttle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Hereinbelow, embodiments of the present disclosure are described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings such that the presentdisclosure can be embodied by those having ordinary skill in the art towhich this present disclosure belongs. However, the present disclosuremay be embodied in various different forms and should not be limited tothe embodiments set forth herein.

In describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, if it wasdecided that the detailed description of a known function orconfiguration related to the disclosure makes the subject matter of thedisclosure unclear, the detailed description has been omitted. Also,parts that are not related to the description of the present disclosureare omitted in the drawings, and like reference numerals designate likeparts therein.

In the present disclosure, when an element is “coupled to”, “combinedwith”, or “connected to” another element, it can be directly coupled tothe other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween.Also, when a component “comprises” or “includes” an element, unlessthere is another contrary description, the component does not excludeother elements but may further include the elements.

In the present disclosure, the terms “first”, “second”, and the like areonly used to distinguish one element from another element. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise, the terms do not denote an order orimportance. Thus, without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure, a first element of an embodiment could be termed a secondelement of another embodiment. Similarly, a second element of anembodiment could also be termed a first element of another embodiment.

In the present disclosure, constituent elements that are distinguishedfrom each other to clearly describe each feature do not necessarilydenote that the constituent elements are separated. In other words, aplurality of constituent elements may be integrated into one hardware orsoftware unit, or one constituent element may be distributed into aplurality of hardware or software units. Accordingly, even if notmentioned, the integrated or distributed embodiments are included in thescope of the present disclosure.

In the present disclosure, constituent elements described in variousembodiments do not denote essential elements, and some of the elementsmay be optional. Accordingly, an embodiment that includes a subset ofconstituent elements described in another embodiment is included in thescope of the present disclosure. Also, an embodiment that includes theconstituent elements, which are described in the various embodiments,and additional other elements is also included in the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Advantages and features of the present disclosure, and methods toachieve them should be apparent from the following embodiments that aredescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Itshould be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to thefollowing embodiments and may be embodied in different ways. Theembodiments are given to provide complete disclosure of the disclosureand to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure tothose having ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method of performing, by a vehicle,communication with another vehicle or a device over a network. Referringto FIG. 1, the vehicle may perform communication with another vehicle ora device. Herein, for example, the vehicle may perform communicationwith another vehicle or a device through cellular communication, WAVEcommunication, or other communication schemes. In other words, thevehicle may be provided with a device capable of performingcommunication. Based on this, the vehicle may perform communication withanother device.

Further, for example, regarding communication of the vehicle, variousmodules may be separately provided. For example, a module may beprovided that is capable of performing communication, i.e.,communicating only with a device positioned inside the vehicle forvehicle security. In another example, a module may be provided that iscapable of performing communication with an external device away fromthe vehicle. For example, inside the vehicle, communication, such asWi-Fi communication, may be performed based on security only for deviceswithin a predetermined range inside the vehicle. For example, thevehicle and a personal electronic device, i.e., a personal device, ofthe vehicle driver may include respective communication modules forperforming only communication therebetween. In other words, the vehicleand the personal device of the vehicle driver may use a communicationnetwork that is blocked from an external communication network. Further,for example, the vehicle may include a communication module thatperforms communication with external devices.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a low-cost autonomous drivingshuttle. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an autonomous driving shuttle 210may be provided at a relatively low cost. For example, the low-costautonomous driving shuttle 210 may be a shuttle driving in apredetermined area. Considering the shuttle operation cost, theautonomous driving shuttle 210 may work, i.e., drive or operate, using aguide line on the road and a camera.

Herein, for example, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may be a shuttlethat works or functions based on complete autonomous driving. As anotherexample, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may be a shuttle in which apartial autonomous driving technique is implemented. More specifically,the shuttle may be a vehicle or a moving object that works or functionsbased on an autonomous driving function. The degree to which autonomousdriving is utilized may vary. For example, the degree of autonomousdriving may be indicated by level or grade. The shuttle that works basedon complete autonomous driving may be indicated by the highest level orgrade. Further, for example, different levels or grades may be indicatedaccording to the degree of autonomous driving. The following descriptionmay be applied not only to a complete-autonomous-driving shuttle inwhich all types of work of the shuttle are controlled, but also to ashuttle performing a partially autonomous driving function. However, inthe following description, for convenience of description, an autonomousdriving shuttle is referred to, but the present disclosure may beapplied to a complete-autonomous-driving shuttle and apartial-autonomous-driving shuttle in the same manner.

Herein, for example, the guide line may be a visually recognized line.For example, the guide line may be a line, such as one formed of amagnetic or fluorescent material, formed visually on the road so thatthe shuttle is able to recognize the line. As another example, the guideline may be a non-visual line. For example, the guide line may be a linevirtually set according to a travel path rather than formed on the road,or the like. In other words, the guide line may refer to a line that isset for the shuttle to recognize, even though the line is not visuallydistinguished. For example, the guide line may be a virtual lineindicated by a road side unit (RSU), which is located in the path alongwhich the shuttle drives, a nearby device, a base station, a server, orthe like. In other words, the nearby devices may provide a virtual guideline so that the shuttle can drive on the path. Based on this, theshuttle may work.

As another example, the guide line may be generated based on at leastone among a travel path, a traveling direction of the shuttle, andnearby information. In other words, the guide line may be generated in aparticular case considering driving of the shuttle and may be set todisappear when the driving is completed.

For example, the guide line may be formed along the path in which theautonomous driving shuttle 210 operates within a predetermined area. Forexample, the guide line may be formed in such a manner that cameras220-1, 220-2, 220-3, 220-4, and 220-5 of the autonomous driving shuttle210 recognize the guide line. In other words, the autonomous drivingshuttle 210 may recognize the guide line through the cameras 220-1,220-2, 220-3, 220-4, and 220-5. Based on this, the shuttle may work. Inthe meantime, different predetermined areas may be set according to asystem design. For example, the predetermined area may be apredetermined area within a university campus or a company. Herein, thepredetermined area may be set to a limited range for operating theautonomous driving shuttle at low cost, but no limitation thereto isimposed.

As another example, the shuttle 210 may be a vehicle (or mobile unit)for driving generally rather than within the predetermined region.Herein, the shuttle 210 may refer to a vehicle that drives and isoperated on the path based on the guide line or the user's command. Theshuttle 210 may not be limited to a particular vehicle or a particulararea. For example, the shuttle 210 may be a general vehicle or a largevehicle, such as a bus, or the like. Herein, the shuttle may work oroperate based on settings for working as a shuttle. For example, theshuttle 210 may be operated within a university campus, which is thepredetermined area as described above. In other words, the shuttle maywork or operate based on an area set in a system or the predeterminedarea in which the shuttle may work. Also, for example, the shuttle maybe a vehicle that circulates the center of a city. Also, thepredetermined area may not be determined and may be changed according tothe user's destination.

Also, for example, the shuttle 210 may be a shuttle controlled by acentral server, considering the case of operation within thepredetermined area. As another example, the shuttle in a predeterminedarea which is not determined and varies may be a shuttle that works oroperates based on direct communication with a user device withoutcontrol of the central server. In other words, the shuttle 210 may be anapparatus that is capable of providing a function as a shuttle to theuser based on authentication, identification, and security functions byitself. No limitation to the embodiment is imposed.

As another example, the shuttle 210 may work or operate based on a map.For example, the shuttle 210 may use multiple maps, and various types ofmaps may be used. For example, the multiple maps may include a maprelated to the operation of the shuttle, or the like, and other mapsrelated to driving. Further, the multiple maps may include maps for adriving area of the shuttle as well as 3D space. No limitation to theembodiment is imposed.

Also, for example, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may performcommunication with the RSU, and based on this, may be controlled. Forexample, the RSU may be devices that are capable of communicating withthe shuttle (or the vehicle) and arranged on the road with apredetermined distance between the devices, i.e., with periodicity.Also, for example, the RSU may be a device that is placed at aparticular point on the road and capable of communicating with theshuttle (or the vehicle). As another example, the RSU may refer to aterminal capable of communicating as a traffic infrastructure. Asanother example, the RSU may refer to a device that is capable ofcommunicating with the shuttle (or the vehicle). Examples of the deviceinclude a V2X terminal, a nearby vehicle, a nearby shuttle, and othermoving objects. In other words, the RSU refers to a device that iscapable of communicating with the autonomous driving shuttle nearby theautonomous driving shuttle. In the following description, forconvenience of description, the RSU is referred to. Herein, for example,the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may receive operation-relatedinformation from the RSU. Also, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 mayreceive other types of information from the RSU in addition to theoperation-related information. No limitation to the embodiment isimposed. As another example, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 mayreceive the operation-related information from the RSU at predeterminedintervals. Herein, multiple RSUs may transmit operation-relatedinformation to the autonomous driving shuttle 210. For example, theoperation-related information may be received from an adjacent RSUaccording to driving of the autonomous driving shuttle 210. Also, forexample, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may receive theoperation-related information from the RSU based on triggering. Morespecifically, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may receive theoperation-related information from the RSU to acquire requiredinformation when the user's command or a particular situation isdetected. For example, the particular situation may be a case in whichthe autonomous driving shuttle deviates from the guide line. Nolimitation to the embodiment is imposed. In other words, the autonomousdriving shuttle may receive relevant information from the RSU, and nolimitation to the embodiment is imposed.

In the meantime, for example, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may beprovided with the cameras 220-1, 220-2, 220-3, 220-4, and 220-5. Herein,the cameras 220-1, 220-2, 220-3, 220-4, and 220-5 may be devices thatare capable of recognizing nearby objects according to the directions inwhich the cameras are provided. In other words, the autonomous drivingshuttle equipped with the cameras may recognize the guide line. Forexample, the cameras 220-1 and 220-2 may be provided at the bottom ofthe autonomous driving shuttle 210 as shown in FIG. 2A. For example,multiple cameras 220-1 and 220-2 may be provided, or one camera may beprovided. Herein, the guide line may be recognized through the camera.Specifically, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may continuouslyrecognize the guide line through the camera (or cameras) at the bottomand may drive along the guide line.

Also, for example, when multiple cameras 220-1 and 220-2 are provided,the autonomous driving shuttle 210 acquires a depth image to increase aratio of guide line recognition. For example, in the case where theautonomous driving shuttle 210 recognizes the guide line through thecameras 220-1 and 220-2, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may acquire2D image through the cameras 220-1 and 220-2. Based on this, the shuttle210 may recognize the guide line. However, in the case where there areobstacles or other objects on the guide line, the autonomous drivingshuttle may not accurately recognize the guide line. In other words, theratio of guide line recognition may decrease. Considering this fact, theautonomous driving shuttle 210 may acquire 3D image information throughthe multiple cameras 220-1 and 220-2. For example, the autonomousdriving shuttle 210 may determine, using the 3D image, whether anobstacle is present on the guide line, whether the image is not clearlyrecognized due to snow or rain, and so on.

Further, for example, the guide line may be formed based on variouspaths within the predetermined area. For example, the autonomous drivingshuttle 210 may be operated in an area where guide lines are formed asmultiple routes. In other words, there may be multiple routes alongwhich the autonomous driving shuttle 210 is operated. For example, guidelines may be set in several directions at the intersection. Also, theguide lines may be set as multiple routes in relation to traveling ofthe autonomous driving shuttle. In the meantime, for example, regardingto the guide lines, based on the intersection and the number of possiblepaths, autonomous-driving-shuttle route information may be calculatedand stored in the autonomous driving shuttle or a server. Further, theautonomous driving shuttle or the server may recognize the guide linebased on the path, which is described further below. In other words, theautonomous driving shuttle may drive along a predetermined path whiledriving along the guide line and may be operated in the predeterminedarea.

Further, for example, the camera recognizing the guide line and aprocessor may be attached and detached from the autonomous drivingshuttle as a single device. In other words, as a device for controllingthe autonomous driving shuttle that is driving in the predeterminedarea, the camera and the processor may be a detachable device. Herein,the above-described device is attached to the autonomous driving shuttleto enable the autonomous driving shuttle to drive along the guide line,thereby reducing limitation in operation of the autonomous drivingshuttle. More specifically, as described above, the autonomous drivingshuttle may include multiple communication modules. Herein, theautonomous driving shuttle may include the multiple communicationmodules considering the security of the autonomous driving shuttle. Forexample, in the case where access to the autonomous driving shuttle fromthe outside is allowed, the risk of an accident may increase andreliable driving may not be secured. Considering this fact, theautonomous driving shuttle may be operated based on the device that isdetachable from the autonomous driving shuttle. For example, the devicethat is detachable from the autonomous driving shuttle may includemultiple communication modules. For example, the device that isdetachable from the autonomous driving shuttle may include a separatemodule, which is capable of performing communication only with theautonomous driving shuttle. Herein, the autonomous driving shuttle maycommunicate with the device that is detachable from the autonomousdriving shuttle, through the module. Further, the device that isdetachable from the autonomous driving shuttle may perform communicationbased on an external device, the server, or other modules. In otherwords, communication with the external device or the server may beperformed through the detachable device. The authority to control theautonomous driving shuttle or the authority to access the autonomousdriving shuttle may not be allowed from the outside, thereby enhancingsecurity efficiency.

In the meantime, for example, the autonomous driving shuttle may furtherinclude multiple cameras. More specifically, the autonomous drivingshuttle may include the cameras 220-1 and 220-2 provided at the bottomof the autonomous driving shuttle as shown in FIG. 2A. Further,referring to FIG. 2B, the autonomous driving shuttle may further includecameras 220-1, 220-2, 220-3, 220-4, and 220-5 located at least one amongthe front, the rear, and the side of the autonomous driving shuttle.Herein, for example, the cameras 220-1 and 220-2 at the bottom recognizethe guide line so that the autonomous driving shuttle drives along theguide line. However, when driving occurs by recognizing the guide linethrough the cameras 220-1 and 220-2, the autonomous driving shuttle maynot correctly work due to an error in recognizing the guide line.Considering this fact, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may furtherinclude the cameras 220-3, 220-4, and 220-5. Herein, the cameras 220-3,220-4, and 220-5 may identify a forward-view image or a rear-view imageto check whether the autonomous driving shuttle 210 is correctlyoperated. Also, the cameras 220-3, 220-4, and 220-5 may identify aside-view image to check whether the autonomous driving shuttle 210 iscorrectly operated. As a specific example, in the case where theautonomous driving shuttle 210 is operated along the guide line in thepredetermined area, the image recognized by the forward-view camera220-3 may be repeated. In other words, the forward-view image is limitedonly to an image that changes according to the path. Information on theimages and image changes may be stored.

Also, for example, the image recognized by the autonomous drivingshuttle from at least one among the above-described cameras 220-1,220-2, 220-3, 220-4, and 220-5 may be an image of the driving path ofthe autonomous driving shuttle. Further, for example, the autonomousdriving shuttle 210 may recognize the predetermined area adjacent to theautonomous driving shuttle 210 through the cameras 220-1, 220-2, 220-3,220-4, and 220-5. For example, nearby areas that may be recognized bythe autonomous driving shuttle 210 may vary according to a setting. Forexample, the autonomous driving shuttle 210 may set the nearby area tobe small to increase the accuracy of guide line recognition. Forexample, when the weather is cloudy or it is difficult to recognize theguide line, the area to be recognized may be small. As another example,when the ratio of guide line recognition is high or it is easy torecognize the guide line, a range of recognition by the autonomousdriving shuttle 210 is wide. In other words, the autonomous drivingshuttle 210 may recognize the nearby area or the driving path through atleast one among the cameras 220-1, 220-2, 220-3, 220-4, and 220-5. Nolimitation to the embodiment is imposed.

As another example, the autonomous driving shuttle may recognize anobstacle through the above-described camera. Herein, in the case wherethe obstacle recognized by the autonomous driving shuttle is positionedon the guide line and where the obstacle is positioned within a presetdistance from the autonomous driving shuttle, the autonomous drivingshuttle may stop driving. Herein, for example, the autonomous drivingshuttle may stop the operation. Further, for example, the autonomousdriving shuttle may send notification of the obstacle to a personaldevice or a server, which may be used to effect removal of the obstacle.

Also, for example, referring to FIG. 3, the autonomous driving shuttle310 may continuously update information on the forward-view imagethrough machine learning. Further, for example, the autonomous drivingshuttle 310 may periodically transmit forward-view images to a server320. The server 320 may analyze the information on the forward-viewimages through machine learning for continuous updates. Based on theabove description, when the autonomous driving shuttle 310 drives alongthe guide line, it is checked whether the autonomous driving shuttledeviates. In other words, even though the autonomous driving shuttle 310does not clearly recognize the guide line through the cameras at thebottom, the autonomous driving shuttle 310 compares a pre-storedforward-view image and the current image to determine whether theshuttle (vehicle) is correctly operated, thereby increasing drivingreliability.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 3, the autonomous driving shuttle 310may periodically transmit image information acquired through the camerasto the server. Herein, the server 320 may perform machine learning basedon images periodically acquired and may store the image informationbased on the autonomous driving shuttle path. Herein, in the case of theautonomous driving shuttle, an area where driving is possible as apredetermined area is limited. The number of images to be acquired andanalyzed may be limited, and thus data processing may be sufficientlypossible. In other words, the amount of data that needs to be processedmay be reduced.

As another example, the autonomous driving shuttle 310 may recognize theguide line through the cameras at the bottom and may drive. Herein, anerror in recognizing the guide line may occur in the autonomous drivingshuttle 310. For example, the error in recognizing the guide line may bea case where the guide line cannot be identified through the cameras ata predetermined ratio or more. For example, in the case of snow or rainor in the case where the guide line cannot be recognized due to anobstacle below the shuttle may be considered. Herein, when the ratio ofguide line recognition is equal to or less than a predetermined value,the autonomous driving shuttle 310 determines the error in recognizingthe guide line. When the autonomous driving shuttle 310 determines theerror in recognizing the guide line, the autonomous driving shuttle 310makes a request to the server for information for identifying the path.Herein, the server 320 may provide the information for identifying thepath to the autonomous driving shuttle 310 by using information that isacquired through machine learning based on the image informationperiodically acquired from the autonomous driving shuttle 310 and othertypes of information. For example, as described above, since theautonomous driving shuttle 310 drives along the predetermined path, theimage information recognized by the autonomous driving shuttle 310 maybe repeated. Based on this, the path may be identified. The autonomousdriving shuttle 310 may then drive along the guide line based on theimage information acquired from the server 320. Herein, the autonomousdriving shuttle 310 may continuously recognize the guide line using thecameras at the bottom. When the ratio of guide line recognition is equalto or greater than a predetermined ratio, the autonomous driving shuttle310 drives along the guide line again. Also, the autonomous drivingshuttle 310 may then periodically transmit the acquired imageinformation to the server.

In the meantime, for example, when the autonomous driving shuttle 310does not correctly recognize the path through the above description, theautonomous driving shuttle 310 stops the operation and transmits anerror message to the server 320. No limitation to the embodiment isimposed. Through the above description, having the cameras attached, theautonomous driving shuttle 310 may be operated within the predeterminedarea, thereby operating the low-cost autonomous driving shuttle.

As another example, a method of increasing the ratio of guide linerecognition may be considered. For example, the ratio of guide linerecognition may be increased using a lamp or a light emitting part ofthe autonomous driving shuttle. More specifically, since the guide lineis located below the autonomous driving shuttle, light may be blocked,and thus the ratio of guide line recognition may decrease. To compensatefor this, the lamp or the light emitting part for illuminating the guideline may be present. As another example, the shuttle may further includea display unit, and may further check whether the shuttle travels alongthe guide line, through a map application. For example, the shuttle maydisplay the map application. Herein, information on the guide line maybe shared in advance. Further, the guide line may be set in acomplicated manner or may be set to various paths.

Next, a detailed method of driving the autonomous driving shuttle may beconsidered. For example, the autonomous driving shuttle may receiveinformation for driving from the personal device or the server, andbased on this, may work. More specifically, before starting driving, theautonomous driving shuttle may receive at least one among start locationinformation, end location information, path information, operation timeinformation, and speed information. Also, the autonomous driving shuttlemay acquire, in advance, other types of information required fordriving. No limitation to the embodiment is imposed. Herein, the startlocation information, the end location information, and the pathinformation may be set based on the above-described guide line. Forexample, the personal device or the server may store information on theguide line in advance based on the predetermined area. Herein, thepersonal device or the server may determine the start location and theend location based on the information, which is stored in advance, onthe guide line. Based on this, the personal device or the server may setthe path for the guide line. Herein, for example, the autonomous drivingshuttle may further have operation time information or operation speedinformation set. Further, the path information of the autonomous drivingshuttle may be set, further considering the operation time informationor the operation speed information. No limitation to the embodiment isimposed.

However, for example, as described above, since the autonomous drivingshuttle drives along the guide line, driving while considering guideline recognition may be required. For example, considering this fact,when the autonomous driving shuttle is operated, work at theintersection is set. Herein, for example, the work at the intersectionmay be controlled through communication with the RSU, which is describedbelow.

Herein, for example, referring to FIG. 4, in the work of the autonomousdriving shuttle at the intersection, whether another vehicle or anothershuttle is present at the intersection may be identified through theforward-view camera. When the autonomous driving shuttle 410-1determines that another vehicle 410-2 or another shuttle 410-2 is notpresent, the autonomous driving shuttle 410-1 continues driving at theintersection. Conversely, when the autonomous driving shuttle 410-1detects that another vehicle 410-2 or another shuttle 410-2 is presentat the intersection by using the camera, the autonomous driving shuttle410-1 transmits a signal to the vehicle 410-2 or the shuttle 410-2. Forexample, the autonomous driving shuttle 410-1 may transmit a signal,such as ultrasonic waves or the like, for detecting an object. Throughthis, the autonomous driving shuttle 410-1 may detect a distance to thevehicle 410-2 or the shuttle 410-2. The autonomous driving shuttle 410-1may then determine, based on information on the guide line 420, a riskof collision with the vehicle 410-2 or the shuttle 410-2 at theintersection. For example, the autonomous driving shuttle 410-1continues driving, when a sufficient distance is secured or achieved,and it is determined that there is no risk of collision. Conversely, theautonomous driving shuttle 410-1 stops driving when the distance isdetermined not to be sufficient and it is determined that there is arisk of collision. The autonomous driving shuttle 410-1 may thenexchange signals with the vehicle 410-2 or the shuttle 410-2. Herein,the autonomous driving shuttle 410-1 may identify the priority byexchanging signals with the vehicle 410-2 or the shuttle 410-2 and maydrive according to the priority. In other words, based on the signalexchange, when it is determined that the autonomous driving shuttle410-1 has a highest priority, the autonomous driving shuttle 410-1continues driving. Conversely, when it is determined that the autonomousdriving shuttle 410-1 has a priority lower than that of the vehicle410-2 or the shuttle 410-2, the autonomous driving shuttle stops drivinguntil the vehicle 410-2 or the shuttle 410-2 completes driving.

As a more specific example, multiple shuttles may detect each other atthe intersection. For example, each of the shuttles may detect othershuttles through a camera or a signal, and when there is no risk ofcollision, driving is performed. Conversely, each of the shuttles maystop driving based on the risk of collision. For example, the multipleshuttles may detect the risk of collision at the intersection and all ofthe multiple shuttles may stop driving. In the above situation, themultiple shuttles may exchange signals with each other and may determinethe priorities. For example, each of the shuttles may determine itspriority based on the sequence of exchanged signals. In other words, theshuttle that stops first may transmit a signal first, and the shuttlethat stops first may have the highest priority. Herein, each shuttle mayidentify its priority by identifying how many signals have beentransmitted before the shuttle transmits a signal and how many signalshave been received before the shuttle receives a signal. Based on this,the shuttle may drive. As another example, the shuttle may recognizeanother vehicle at the intersection based on the RSU, which is describedbelow.

As another example, the autonomous driving shuttle may distinguish ashuttle or a normal vehicle through the camera and then may work, i.e.,drive or operate. For example, the autonomous driving shuttle may storeinformation on another shuttle driving within the same region. Forexample, the autonomous driving shuttle may acquire image information ofanother shuttle through the camera and may match the acquired imageinformation with the stored information to recognize the shuttle. Forexample, when the autonomous driving shuttle does not recognize theshuttle as a matched shuttle, the autonomous driving shuttle recognizesthe shuttle as a normal vehicle. Herein, the autonomous driving shuttlemay always give priority to the normal vehicle. More specifically, in arelationship between the autonomous driving shuttle and another shuttlethat is matched with information pre-stored in the autonomous drivingshuttle, the priority is set based on relevant information, and drivingmay be controlled. However, the autonomous driving shuttle cannot storeall types of information on a normal vehicle, and there may be a limitin recognizing information through the camera. Considering this fact,when the autonomous driving shuttle recognizes the normal vehiclethrough the camera, the autonomous driving shuttle gives priority to thenormal vehicle. In other words, the autonomous driving shuttle stopsdriving when the autonomous driving shuttle recognizes the normalvehicle at the intersection, and the autonomous driving shuttle waitsfor driving of the normal vehicle. Through this, the autonomous drivingshuttle may reduce the likelihood of an accident and an error caused byan unrecognized vehicle.

On the other hand, when the autonomous driving shuttle recognizes thematched shuttle through the camera, the RSU, or communication with theserver, the autonomous driving shuttle drives based on information withthe matched shuttle. Further, for example, the autonomous drivingshuttle may recognize the matched shuttle through communication with theRSU or with the server. In other words, as described above, the presentdisclosure may be applied to the case of recognition through the camera,the case of recognition through the RSU, or the case of recognitionthrough communication with the server in the same manner. However, forconvenience of description, the following description is given based forthe case of recognition through the camera.

For example, the autonomous driving shuttle may store shuttle listinformation. Herein, a shuttle list may have priorities of respectiveshuttles that are set or stored. In other words, when the autonomousdriving shuttle recognizes another shuttle at the intersection, theautonomous driving shuttle stops driving for a while to secure drivingof the shuttle having a higher priority. Conversely, when the priorityof the autonomous driving shuttle is higher than that of the shuttlerecognized by the autonomous driving shuttle, the autonomous drivingshuttle does not stop driving and passes through the intersection. Inother words, based on the preset priorities, the autonomous drivingshuttle may drive, and thus collision at the intersection may beprevented. Herein, for example, the preset priorities may be set by theserver or the system. For example, the preset priorities may varyaccording to the degree of charging. For example, when a user of anautonomous driving shuttle uses a high-priced autonomous drivingshuttle, its priority is higher than those of other shuttles and fastdriving at the intersection is guaranteed. Conversely, when the user ofan autonomous driving shuttle uses a low-priced autonomous drivingshuttle, its priority is lower than those of other shuttles and based onthis, the driving time is longer. In other words, the system or theserver may control the priority of the autonomous driving shuttle. Basedon this, the operation of the autonomous driving shuttle may becontrolled. As another example, the priorities may be set by anothermethod, and no limitation to the embodiment is imposed.

As another example, when the autonomous driving shuttle recognizes thematched shuttle rather than the normal vehicle, the autonomous drivingshuttle performs communication with other shuttles. For example,communication between autonomous driving shuttles may be performed basedon a preset method. Further, for example, for security and accidentprevention, it may be set that communication is possible only betweenautonomous driving shuttles. No limitation to the embodiment is imposed.For example, in the case of a normal vehicle, it may be unclear whethercommunication with the autonomous driving shuttle is possible.Therefore, communication between autonomous driving shuttles may beperformed only when the matched shuttle is recognized. Herein, theautonomous driving shuttle may determine priorities at the intersectionthrough communication with the matched shuttle. In other words, theautonomous driving shuttle may determine the shuttle of which driving atthe intersection is guaranteed, through the communication. For example,as described above, driving of the shuttle that transmits a signal firstmay be guaranteed. No limitation to the embodiment is imposed.

Further, for example, when the autonomous driving shuttle drives alongthe guide line, the autonomous driving shuttle periodically performscommunication with the server or the personal device to reduce thedriving error.

For example, referring to FIG. 5, the autonomous driving shuttle 510 maydrive along the guide line, based on the above description. Herein, theautonomous driving shuttle may transmit an image acquired from a vehiclecamera, to a server 520 (or a personal device). Herein, the imageacquired from the camera may be at least one among an image of the guideline, a forward-view image, a rear-view image, and a side-view image. Nolimitation to the embodiment is imposed. The server 520 may then performmachine learning based on the acquired image. For example, the server520 may periodically update the images acquired based on the syntheticneural network, may learn the repeated images, and may store and updatethe image information. The autonomous driving shuttle 510 may thendetermine whether there is an error in recognizing the guide line. Inother words, when there is no error in recognizing the guide line, theautonomous driving shuttle 510 continues driving along the guide line.Conversely, when the autonomous driving shuttle 510 fails to recognizethe guide line, the autonomous driving shuttle 510 transmits informationon the error to the server 520. In other words, the autonomous drivingshuttle 510 may transmit a request to the server 520 for information foridentifying the path. Herein, the server 520 may identify driving pathinformation of the autonomous driving shuttle 510 based on informationthat is periodically acquired from the autonomous driving shuttle 510and is already subjected to machine learning. In other words, the server520 may identify an error occurrence point of the autonomous drivingshuttle 510 and information on the future path, through learning aboutan image or a video changing according to the guide line. Herein, theserver 520 may provide the information for identifying the path to thevehicle. Through this, the autonomous driving shuttle 510 maycontinuously drive along the guide line. Further, the autonomous drivingshuttle 510 may then periodically transmit relevant information to theserver 520. Based on this, the autonomous driving shuttle 510continuously drives even when the error in recognizing the guide lineoccurs.

Based on the above description, the autonomous driving shuttle maycontinue driving within the predetermined region or along the guide linewithin the area and may be operated at low cost.

As another example, in order to increase the accuracy of the driving,global positioning system (GPS) information may be used. Morespecifically, the vehicle may be equipped with a GPS device, and thevehicle may acquire location information based on the GPS. Herein, eventhough the vehicle drives along the guide line based on the imageacquired through the camera, additional location information is acquiredto check whether the vehicle deviates from the path. For example, asdescribed above, when the ratio of guide line recognition is equal to orgreater than a predetermined value and there is no obstacle, the shuttledrives along the guide line. Conversely, when the ratio of guide linerecognition is equal to or less than the predetermined value or when theaccuracy of the path is low, for example, when there is an obstacle, theGPS device is used to increase the accuracy of location. In other words,fundamentally, the shuttle travels along the guide line recognizedthrough the camera, and additional location information is used tosecure reliability of traveling.

As another example, the autonomous driving shuttle may work or operateby performing communication with the RSU. Considering this fact, theshuttle may be equipped with a device capable of performingcommunication with the RSU. For example, the shuttle may be equippedwith a module for communication and may communicate with nearby RSUsthrough the communication module. However, when the shuttle continuouslycommunicates with the RSUs, there is a limit in driving, such as powerconsumption. Therefore, fundamentally, the shuttle may travel along theguide line through the camera at the bottom of the shuttle. Herein, asdescribed above, the shuttle may determine whether to communicate withthe nearby RSUs, based on an image of at least one among a forward view,a rear view, and a side view. For example, when it is determined that anobstacle is located within a reference distance, based on the acquiredimages of the forward view, the rear view, and/or the side view, theshuttle communicates with the RSU to avoid the obstacle. In other words,the shuttle may operate as usual for normal work, and only when theobstacle is recognized through the camera, the shuttle communicates withthe nearby RSUs. Herein, the nearby RSUs may communicates with devicesinstalled nearby and other devices, based on an infrastructure. In themeantime, communication performed in the present disclosure may be basedon various methods, and no limitation to the embodiment is imposed.Herein, when the RSU receives a request about an obstacle from theshuttle, the RSU identifies information on the obstacle. For example,the RSU may identify location information of the obstacle throughcommunication with other devices. Based on this, the RSU may providefeedback information to the shuttle. Herein, the shuttle may stopdriving based on the received information. Afterward, based on a signalacquired from the RSU or the image information that the shuttle directlyacquires, when it is determined that the obstacle disappears, theshuttle drives again.

Further, for example, as described above, in the case where theautonomous driving shuttle drives along the guide line, there may be anintersection. For example, when the autonomous driving shuttlerecognizes an obstacle, the autonomous driving shuttle communicates withthe RSU and receives accurate information on the obstacle from the RSUand work information based on this. Through this, even when theintersection is present, the autonomous driving shuttle acquiresinformation on another shuttle or vehicle. In other words, based on theRSU present at the intersection, the operation of the autonomous drivingshuttle may be controlled.

Further, for example, in the case of operating the shuttle, the drivingmay be controlled. For example, a start location, an end location, anoperation speed, an operation location of the shuttle, and other typesof information related to operation may need to be controlled.

Herein, although the operation of the shuttle may be performed along theguide line through recognition by the camera, the driving of the shuttlemay be controlled through communication with the RSU. For example,referring to FIG. 6, in terms of driving, the controlling is performedthrough the camera, and in terms of being operated, the controlling isperformed through communication. For example, the RSUs may be installedat a start location, an end location, and a stop point of the shuttle.For example, there may be an RSU pre-installed with a bus stop and theshuttle may communicate with the RSUs.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 6, the shuttle 610 may receiveinformation on the operation from the RSUs 620 and 630, at the startlocation. Herein, the information on the operation may include at leastone among stop location (e.g. bus stop) information, operationestimated-time information, and operation region information. In otherwords, the shuttle 610 may receive operation-related information at thestart location. The shuttle 610 may then start the operation through theRSU at the start location. Herein, the shuttle 610 may turn on thecamera and may recognize the guide line 640 to perform the operation. Inthe meantime, the shuttle 610 may receive a stop signal from the RSUs620 and 630, at the stop location (e.g. bus stop) and may temporarilystop the operation. For example, the shuttle 610 may receive informationfrom the RSUs 620 and 630 at the stop location. Also, for example, theshuttle 610 may determine the time to temporarily stop, considering theoperation-related information received from the start location,operation time information at the stop location, and the like. Also, forexample, the shuttle 610 may adjust the speed of the shuttle from thecurrent stop location to the next stop location based on the informationreceived from the start location. In other words, the informationreceived from the start location may include information on an estimatedtime for each stop point, information on the operation working based onthe time, and the like. Herein, the shuttle 610 is operated using theguide line 640 recognized through the camera. Control of the specificspeed and the operation may be performed through communication with theRSUs 620 and 630. In other words, for working at low cost, the vehiclemay be equipped with only the camera and the communication module,driving control may be performed through the camera, and operationcontrol may be performed through the communication module. Also, forexample, the shuttle 610 may transmit operation information to theserver for management. Based on this, an accident during the operationmay be prevented.

Further, for example, considering this situation, the shuttle 610 mayreceive information in advance on the driving path from the server ofthe RSU, at the start location. Herein, the information on the drivingpath may be included in the map application as a path where the guideline is formed. Herein, the shuttle may acquire the location informationthrough a GPS. Based on this, the location may be displayed in the mapapplication. For example, the shuttle may travel by recognizing theguide line and may identify the travel path through the map application.Further, whether the shuttle drives along the guide line in the correctdirection may be further checked. In other words, the vehicle may usethe map application and the location information in parallel withrecognition of the guide line, thereby further securing reliability ofdriving.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an autonomous driving shuttle.Referring to FIG. 7, an autonomous driving shuttle 1100 may include aprocessor 1110 and a camera unit 1120. Herein, the processor 1110 may bean entity for controlling an autonomous driving vehicle as describedabove. For example, the processor 1110 may be a hardware configuration.As another example, the processor 1110 may be a software configurationfor controlling the autonomous driving shuttle. No limitation to theembodiment is imposed. Also, for example, the autonomous driving shuttle1100 may include a camera unit 1120. Herein, the camera unit 1120 mayinclude at least one camera as described above. For example, the cameraunit 1120 may acquire an image of the guide line below the vehicle.Also, for example, the camera unit 1120 may further include a cameraacquiring an image of at least one among a forward view, a rear view,and a side view, which is as described above.

Also, for example, the autonomous driving shuttle 1100 may furtherinclude a transceiver 1130. For example, the processor 1110 of theautonomous driving shuttle 1100 may perform communication with otherdevices through the transceiver 1130, which is as described above.

Although the methods in the present disclosure are expressed as a seriesof operations for clarity of description, the order of the steps is notlimited thereto. When necessary, the steps may be performedsimultaneously or in a different order. In order to realize the methodaccording to the present disclosure, other steps may be added to theillustrative steps, some steps may be excluded from the illustrativesteps, or some steps may be excluded while additional steps may beincluded.

The various embodiments of the present disclosure are not intended tolist all possible combinations, but to illustrate representative aspectsof the present disclosure. The matters described in the variousembodiments may be applied independently or in a combination of two ormore.

Further, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may beimplemented by hardware, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. Inthe case of implementation by hardware, implementation is possible byone or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digitalsignal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs),programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), general processors, controllers, micro controllers,microprocessors, and the like.

The scope of the present disclosure includes software ormachine-executable instructions (for example, an operating system, anapplication, firmware, a program, and the like) that cause operationaccording to the methods of the various embodiments to be performed on adevice or a computer. The scope of the present disclosure also includesa non-transitory computer-readable medium storing such software orinstructions to execute on a device or a computer.

Although an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described forillustrative purposes, those having ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions, and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosureas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating an autonomous drivingshuttle, the method comprising: receiving, by the autonomous drivingshuttle, information on an operation of the autonomous driving shuttle;recognizing a guide line by using at least one camera provided in theautonomous driving shuttle; and driving the autonomous driving shuttleby using the information on the operation and the recognized guide line.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the autonomous driving shuttleincludes the at least one camera photographing a driving path, andwherein the autonomous driving shuttle recognizes the guide line throughthe at least one camera photographing the driving path.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the autonomous driving shuttle includes two or morecameras photographing the driving path, and wherein the autonomousdriving shuttle acquires a depth image of the guide line through the twoor more cameras and recognizes the guide line using the acquired depthimage.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the autonomous driving shuttlefurther includes a camera photographing at least one among a forwardview, a rear view, and a side view, and acquires an image through thecamera photographing at least one among the forward view, the rear view,and the side view, and wherein the autonomous driving shuttle drivesconsidering the acquired image.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein theautonomous driving shuttle transmits information acquired using the atleast one camera to a server, and wherein the server stores and updatesthe acquired information using machine learning or a learning scheme. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein, when the autonomous driving shuttlefails to recognize the guide line during driving, the autonomous drivingshuttle transmits a message for requesting path identification to theserver, the server transmits a path identification message to theautonomous driving shuttle using the information stored and updatedthrough the machine learning or the learning scheme, and the autonomousdriving shuttle drives along the guide line using information receivedfrom the server.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information onthe operation includes at least one among start location information,end location information, path information, operation time information,and speed information.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the informationon the operation is received from a server or a personal device.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein, when the autonomous driving shuttle drivesalong the guide line, the autonomous driving shuttle acquires an imageof an obstacle using the at least one camera.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein, when the autonomous driving shuttle recognizes the obstacle andthe obstacle is positioned within a preset distance on the guide line,the operation of the autonomous driving shuttle is stopped.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, wherein, when the obstacle is a vehicle, theautonomous driving shuttle identifies whether the vehicle is a shuttleon a list.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein, when the vehicle is notthe shuttle on the list, the autonomous driving shuttle stops thedriving until the driving of the vehicle is completed.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, wherein, when the vehicle is the shuttle on the list, theautonomous driving shuttle determines whether to stop driving, by usinga priority of the vehicle.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the listincludes priority information for each shuttle included in the list, andwherein the autonomous driving shuttle determines whether to stop thedriving by comparing the priority of the autonomous driving shuttle andthe priority of the vehicle.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein theguide line is set in a predetermined area, and the autonomous drivingshuttle drives only in the predetermined area.
 16. The method of claim1, wherein the autonomous driving shuttle receives operation-relatedinformation from a road side unit (RSU) and drives along the guide lineusing the received operation-related information.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, wherein, when the autonomous driving shuttle drives along theguide line, the autonomous driving shuttle periodically receives drivingrelated information from the RSU.
 18. An autonomous driving shuttlecomprising: a camera unit configured to acquire an image; and aprocessor configured to control the camera unit, wherein the processoris configured to identify information on an operation of the autonomousdriving shuttle, and recognize a guide line using at least one cameraincluded in the camera unit, and the autonomous driving shuttle isconfigured to drive using the information on the operation and therecognized guide line.
 19. The autonomous driving shuttle of claim 18,further comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit and receive asignal, wherein the information on the operation of the autonomousdriving shuttle is received through the transceiver.
 20. A system foroperating an autonomous driving shuttle, the system comprising: anautonomous driving shuttle; and a server, wherein the autonomous drivingshuttle is configured to receive information on an operation of theautonomous driving shuttle from the server, wherein the autonomousdriving shuttle is configured to recognize a guide line using at leastone camera included in the autonomous driving shuttle, and wherein theautonomous driving shuttle is configured to drive using the informationon the operation and the recognized guide line.